LAGCOE '15: Looey is Leon Charles Moncla Jr.
LAFAYETTE –- This year, LAGCOE honors Leon Charles Moncla Jr. as LAGCOE Looey 2015 in recognition of his 45-plus years of service in the oil and gas industry. LAGCOE Looey recipients have shaped the oil and gas industry through years of devoted hard work while continuously giving back to their community. This year’s commendable recipient is no different.
"LAGCOE Looey 2015 epitomizes the qualities of a true Southwest Louisiana oil man: entrepreneurial risk-taking, perseverance during tough times and enjoyment of life to the fullest,” said LAGCOE 2015 chairman, Steve Maley. "In the end, you pay it forward by giving back to the community and bringing the next generation along. These are the values of LAGCOE, and these are marks of the character of Mr. Charlie Moncla.”
Leon Charles Moncla, Jr. was born and raised in Lafayette, La. He graduated from Lafayette High School in 1966 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in 1970. Moncla dove head first into the oil and gas industry, working at Pelican Well Service during the summers, while attending college.
Upon graduation, Mr. Moncla accepted a position in Houma, La. with McEvoy Valve Company, a division of Rockwell Manufacturing, where he worked for two years as a field representative. Between the years of 1972 and 1984, Moncla worked from the ground up at Pelican Well Service. He began as a roughneck, and by the end of the 12 years, was the company Vice President.
In November 1984, Moncla began his own business, Moncla Well Service, Inc. The company began with one rig and six employees. By the time Moncla would sell his company to Key Energy Services, Inc. in 2007, it would be home to 953 employees and 53 rigs.
Moncla attributes the success of Moncla Well Service, Inc. to the company culture that he helped instill in his employees. “Utilization is the economic work horse of any company. A company can only have good utilization by having hard-working, safe, and courteous employees. That’s what I try to work on every day,” said Moncla.
Mr. Moncla encouraged his employees to act, not only as a team, but as a family. He worked hard to recognize every employee and welcome them into the Moncla Well Service family. Moncla encouraged his employees to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and pray together at weekly meetings. He believed and convinced his employees that they were American heroes and patriots for the hard-work that they did and the energy that they delivered upon the completion of every well.
In 2011, after a brief retirement, Moncla became CEO of Platinum Energy Solutions, Inc., where oversaw the operations and administration of the company. In the first eight months of operation, Moncla, along with a core group of employees, worked to hire and train more than 300 employees that worked three frac fleets in Louisiana, South Texas, and Utah. In 2014, Platinum Energy Solution, Inc. sold its assets. It was then, that Moncla went to work with his family at Moncla Companies.
Moncla now works alongside his three sons, two brothers, and two nephews at Moncla Companies. Moncla loves working with his children and family members, and has enjoyed watching them grow into the strong team that are today.
Moncla Companies has grown over recent years, starting new affiliate companies. Moncla Companies has also gone international, the first international endeavor in the family’s history, sending a drilling rig to Belize, Central America. In 2012, Moncla Companies acquired the barge rig fleet from Tetra Technologies, adding to Moncla’s fleet as the largest workover barge company in the U.S. Also in 2012, Moncla Companies diversified, opening Moncla Workover & Drilling and Moncla E-Line.
In 2013, the family signed their first long-term contract, entering the platform rig market in Alaska with Moncla Offshore. “The benefits of my patience, along with my family’s hard work, can be seen today in the success of their own company. I can’t express how proud I am of them,” says Mr. Moncla. Moncla Companies is spearheading the oil and gas industry, with family values leading their way
